Four boys and a girl
"People often tell me I should write a blog or a book. Between being the "default parent" to five young children, working at a start-up, and moving into a new home in a new town, there just aren't enough hours in a day, but that certainly doesn't mean I don't have enough to say about our entertaining life and all that goes with it. Many thanks to Jenna for allowing me the platform to add a narrative to her amazing images.
A few years ago, after two miscarriages, my husband and I decided to try one more time to add a third child to our family. After a couple of positive pregnancy tests, I found myself holding my breath as the ultrasound technician honed in on a baby. Ah! And there, the flickering heartbeat. After allowing myself a deep breath, I noticed another blob with a flickering middle, floating in the corner. Was I about to have twins? Again, holding my breath.
"Did you do IVF?" the technician asked.
"No..." I answered as my internal monologue continued, "Just say it, it's twins. I see it."
"Have you been pretty tired? ... Nauseous?" she continued.
"Yes... yes... I just assumed it was another girl." I answered, picking up on her line of questioning.
"Hold onto your socks, are you ready?" She announced.
"It's twins, isn't it" already knowing her answer.
"No... No, it's triplets."
Hyperventilating ensued.
Fast forward to present day: My husband has since transitioned out of the Marine Corps having flown jets for 11 years and now works in the tech world. Since we've been married we have now moved 8 times and our children are 6, 4, 2, 2, and 2. While much of our life has gotten easier after the first 18 months of assembly lines, Starbucks, and cat naps, parts are more challenging: The Terrible Twos Times Three (yes, it deserves capitalization), preschool tuition, and a stronger dependency on Starbucks.
Today is our 10-year anniversary. We'll get a sitter, pop a frozen pizza in the oven for the kids, and feel the clock start ticking the second we pull out of the driveway. We'll probably hit some traffic driving into San Francisco, but let out a sigh of relief as we toast each other with our first pre-dinner cocktails. We'll laugh that we "just can't hang anymore," share an appetizer and note how relaxing it is to be just the two of us for a change. Then... we'll talk about our kids.
Probably throughout dinner we'll talk about how our oldest son, so independent these days, got himself up and made himself breakfast while watching National Geographic.
Dessert will have us laughing about how our only daughter bribed "the babies" to sing back-up to her latest ABBA cover song.
Adam will order an espresso, and we'll shake our heads about how the oldest of the trio flushed someone's art project down the toilet, the second egged the inside of our freshly painted house, and how the third just really wants to be an only child.
We're in a challenging season in life, but man, if we aren't blessed... Can't wait for the next 10 years. And the end of diapers." - Lauren
